Coated articles are known in the art for use in window applications such as insulating glass (IG) window units, vehicle windows, and/or the like. It is known that in certain instances, it is desirable to heat treat (e.g., thermally temper, heat bend and/or heat strengthen) such coated articles for purposes of tempering, bending, or the like in certain example instances.
In certain situations, designers of coated articles often strive for a combination of high outside reflectance for aesthetic purposes combined with good selectivity, desirable visible transmission, low emissivity (or emittance), and low sheet resistance (Rs). Low-emissivity (low-E) and low sheet resistance characteristics permit such coated articles to block significant amounts of IR radiation so as to reduce for example undesirable heating of vehicle or building interiors. However, heat treatment of coated articles typically requires use of temperature(s) of at least 580 degrees C., more preferably of at least about 600 degrees C. and still more preferably of at least 620 degrees C. The use of such high temperatures (e.g., for 5-10 minutes or more) often causes coatings to break down, have undesirably low outside visible reflectance and/or causes one or more of the aforesaid desirable characteristics to significantly deteriorate in an undesirable manner.
U.S. Patent Document 2005/0202254, commonly owned and hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a coated article having the following layers on a glass substrate, from the glass substrate outwardly.
Layer
Glass Substrate
TiO2 
Si3N4 
ZnO
Ag
NiCrOx 
SnO2 
Si3N4 
SnO2 
ZnO
Ag
NiCrOx 
SnO2 
Si3N4 
While the aforesaid coated article is heat treatable, and has many desirable and good characteristics, it does have problems regarding its undesirably low outside visible reflectance when the coated article is used in an IG window unit. In particular, U.S. 2005/0202254 states that IG window units having the coating are only able to realize an outside glass side visible reflectance of 1-12%.
As another example, while the coated article of U.S. Pat. No. 8,017,243 has many desirable and good characteristics, it has problems regarding its undesirably low outside or glass side reflective visible reflectance. In particular, the tables in the '243 patent show that IG window units having the coating are only able to realize an outside glass side visible reflectance of 1-14% (see the RgY values).
As another example, while the coated article of U.S. Pat. No. 7,419,725 has many desirable and good characteristics, it has problems regarding its undesirably low outside or glass side reflective visible reflectance. In particular, Examples 1-2 in the '725 patent show that IG window units having the coating are only able to realize an outside glass side visible reflectance of 16.9 to 17.7% (see the RgY values).
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there exists a need in the art for a coated article with more desirable optical characteristics (e.g., higher outside glass side visible reflectance in an IG window unit combined with low-emissivity and desirable visible transmission).